Once again the key to happy living comes from speaking AND doing.  It’s great to say you love something, but it’s in the doing that you understand what that really means.

Courage, Creative and Practical

There are at least two elements to this.  The first is illustrated in the drawing, finding a creative outlet you love.  The second is the day to day life you lead and the practical choices it entails.

Creativity

I’ve mentioned this before but it’s such a fundamental lesson it bears repeating; if you are going to be a consistent creative force in the world you have to love what you do and let the world know it.  It might seem obvious but the roadblocks can be high. To give just one example, the woman in the drawing might have a spouse, family, employer or church who does not approve of her doing nude sculpture.  But if the nude is what she loves, if it’s what she is creatively moved by, then she has to find a way to make it happen. She has to find the courage to stand up and say, this is what I love to do.  She has to do this knowing she will face the anger, misunderstanding or rejection. That is the definition of courage.  She does it because creating her art as she pleases makes her happy and that is worth it.

Practical

There are other examples that reside in our daily life. They involve individuality, style and interests.  For example, the woman who likes blue eyeshadow but knows people laugh at it and thinks it’s tacky.  The man who likes to bird watch even though all his buddies like to hunt and think he is a wuss.  The couple who like to take separate vacations even though their families think it means they don’t really love each other.  The female bodybuilder with 10 cats whose landlord makes fun of her.

What they all have in common is their pursuit of what makes them happy and their willingness to face disapproval because of it.  What are some other examples?

Developing

I first wrote the guide above to say ‘Have the courage…’ but I changed it to ‘Develop the courage…’ because I realized as I wrote it that courage is a muscle. It’s no different than a physical muscle. It needs to be developed through practice and training. One needs to learn what it entails and how to implement it.  How to withstand an onslaught.  How to respond to an attack.  How to make peace with disapproval.  It isn’t easy.  I like to think I’ve been a courageous artist for 40 years and it still is hard for me to face the disapproval of my wife or family or the art world or society.  Trust me, I know. I live in Oklahoma, the land of judgment.  I don’t have all the answers but I know one aspect that helps, and that’s to have a sense of humor about it.

Reward

In my years of going through it I discovered something.  The happier and more confident I am about my choice and direction, from the beginning, the more those around me bow to it. I don’t mean bow in any sort of grandiose way, I mean that those who see a confident person stepping forward in a creative vision usually respond with respect after a while. Yes, they may push back at first, but if you are consistent and resolute, they see you are not going to be stopped and they let you go.  That is where consistent application of your creative vision gains a reward for you.  You become known as that person.  Your identity is secure and others respect and admire that.

Be courageous, confident and consistent in the choices that make you happy and others will see it and respect it over time.

What examples do you have of courage and creativity?

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Love – The Napkin’s Guide to Happy Living #1

Courage – The Napkin’s Guide to Happy Living #2

Smiling – The Napkin’s Guide to Happy Living #3

Education – The Napkin’s Guide to Happy Living #4

Transformation – The Napkin’s Guide to Happy Living #5

Judging – The Napkin’s Guide to Happy Living #6

Expression – The Napkin’s Guide to Happy Living #7

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Drawing and guide by Marty Coleman, who has been known to draw naked people himself.

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